The three posts
in front of the building across the street support a train rail used only once,
in July 1943, to hang 12 Polish prisoners. Scrolling right a bit, you see the
Rapportführer's booth from where the roll was conducted. Scrolling around
you can see the entire length of the Appelplatz.

Prisoners were
assembled here and in both directions left and right, in the morning and evening.
It is one of the places where “selections”were made sending prisoners
back to slave labor or to their deaths. Each morning and evening all prisoners
had to be accounted for, even those who had perished. See [link].

From prisoner Salmen
Gradowski's diary found buried beneath the ashes at Krematorium II-Birkenau
after the war*. “At almost each block, beside the men standing in line,
bodies of three, four persons are lying. These are the victims of the night
that have not lived to see the day. Even yesterday they were standing members
of the roll-call and today they lie, lifeless, motionless. Life is not important
at the roll-call. Numbers are important. Numbers tally…”